Dissertation Surverys

At today's lecture we were given a brief talk about our dissertations. Even though they don't have to be handed for another a year, the idea that I am going to have to start thinking about one is pretty scary!

So when I discovered 2 emails from students regarding help on their dissertations I decided to do what I could! Both emails had surveys attached, (I have to be honest most of the time I don't stop to fill these things in, but it won't be long until I need the same input from other students) so I took a look at the questionnaires.

One was regarding film credits, which I found really interesting. I had to watch 7 different title sequences then answer a serious of questions relating to how they made me feel, if I took in any information, whether or not they made me want to watch the film.

The second survey was in regards to online services and what they offer in relationship to physical stores. This is a subject which I have had to investigate for a current project so I had a little knowledge on the subject which made the questions easier to answer.

Answering these questionnaires also gave me the chance to see what kind of topics people are choosing to research for their dissertation, hopefully they will give me inspiration when I come to choose mine!

Design Studies

This year Design Studies have decided to mix things up by putting us all in different teams for our assignments. Last year we had seminar groups which consisted of people from the same discipline as yourself. This year, however, it is a team made up of 8 members all studying different areas of design; graphics, textiles, environmental, etc. I think this is a very good idea, having met with my group on a couple of occasions, it has been beneficial to get a wide range of opinions and learn a little more about each area of design.

As part of Assignment 1 we were required to meet up and decide, for each one of us, a topic from a list to investigate. When we met everyone had already decided which area they were interested in and thankfully there was no duplicates, therefore no fighting over who gets a certain topic! I decided to research crime and design as I find this topic very interesting, and after having several lectures on crime last year it was an area I wanted to look into further.

We decided to give ourselves a week to researching our chosen topics and to meet the following Thursday to discuss what we had found out and explain our mind maps to the group. I found this second meeting very interesting as we all took turns to explain what our topics were and also highlight any information which we had found specifically relevant.

During the last two weeks I have managed to source books and websites on my chosen topic. I am also going to use the university website to search for journal articles which could also help me write my wiki entry. My group meet again on Thursday, so by then I hope to be able to discuss the history of crime and design and how it relates to the design process and designers.

One Week Down

So week one has been and gone already, which means that I only have two weeks left to work on my first design brief . Our first assignment requires us to 'reinvigorate the High Street by choosing a product or service to brand.'

The class has been split into teams of three so that we all get to experience what it would be like to work on a live project. I think this is a really good idea as teamwork is a prominent feature of the design industry. I have been put in a team with Nick and Kyle, two people that I have never worked on a project with before, so it will be interesting to see how we interact with one and other.

Over the course of the week we have had several meetings and brain storming sessions where we have seen our initial ideas develop into a final solution. In response to the brief we have decided to create a innovative new eating experience on the high street - youdo.

We were all aware that the general public are becoming more concerned with healthy eating and active lifestyles. There are ongoing campaigns by the government and health organizations to eat healthy, exercise more, etc. However with today's busy lifestyle how easy is it to eat healthy on the go? And with all the tempting fast food available what would draw the public into a healthy eating restaurant?

Youdo wants the public to participate in a unique hands on experience, where they not only choose what food they want, they help prepare it!

During the next week we have to decide on a logo for the company as well as starting to develop the extended look and feel of our product and have an idea for the launch programs.

I sense a busy week ahead!

A Fresh Start

September has finally arrived and with it brings the start of Uni! I may regret saying it (lets be honest, I am pretty sure I will regret saying it) but I am so pleased to be back. Even though I have enjoyed being off for just over three months (who wouldn’t!) I am looking forward to getting started on my new projects and assignments.

This year I am in a new flat, with new flatmates, as well as working in a new studio so I thought I would take the opportunity to restyle my blog. At the moment I am keeping my current blog but want to look into CSS so that I can design the layout the way I want it (this may take a while as I have know idea how to do it!). However, for the moment I have tried to simplify the onscreen layout as well as opting for a new colour scheme, so that I can make a fresh start!